JWI Intern Sarah Merly interviewed 2021 Fellow John Ehrett and 2014 Fellow Katie Lane in June 2022 through email. They discussed their respective introductions to natural law and moral reasoning, their experience at the Fellowship, and how natural law and moral reasoning inform their current positions as legal aides for the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The full interview can be read below.

How were you first introduced to natural law and moral reasoning? If the James Wilson Institute first introduced you to those concepts, what compelled you to apply for the Fellowship?

John: I have been reading about natural law for most of my life; my full appreciation of natural law came when I read Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue late in college.

Katie:

How did your perceptions of natural law and moral reasoning change after attending your respective Fellowships?

John: N/A

Katie:

What were the most valuable legal lessons you learned from attending the Fellowship?

John: I particularly appreciate the emphasis on, as a matter of political rhetoric, stating affirmatively the underlying moral premises of arguments rather than trying to sweep these under the rug. I periodically dabble in speechwriting in my current role and this is a valuable insight I've taken to heart.

Katie:

How do you apply the concepts and implications of natural law and moral reasoning as legal aides in the Senate Judiciary committee?

John: It's the role of Senators and their staffs to help move the ball forward in terms of the ideas that shape public debate. One of the most important ideas, and one lacking from the political scene for a long time, has been the notion that human beings are more than "utility monsters" seeking to maximize (and mathematize) their productive capacities. Rather, they have natural limits and thrive most fully in certain, most especially the family. So it's our responsibility to think about questions such as economics and technology through the lens of natural law reasoning.

Katie:

How are you planning on applying natural law and moral reasoning principles in the future?

John: Among other things, I'm currently working on an article (forthcoming next year) that deploys virtue ethics and the natural law tradition to offer a novel critique of the administrative state, focused on the question of whether the federal bureaucracy can really ever help cultivate the personal virtues that would allow for institutional effectiveness.

Katie:

Why is the James Wilson Institute important to you?

John: In many ways, the James Wilson Institute is the conscience of contemporary American legal conservatism. Its work serves as a constant reminder that all our practical reason is inevitably founded upon our moral and metaphysical judgments.

Katie: